Susan Gravenkamp, a spokeswoman with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, said Thomas had told rescue workers Bennett was immobilized by altitude sickness. He said he had left Bennett unconscious Saturday night and feared that his friend hadn't survived, Gravenkamp said.

Thomas was back in the Bay Area on Tuesday and told friends he was in good condition.

They arrived Thursday prepared to climb to the top of 14,162-foot Mount Shasta, Gravenkamp said, possibly unaware that a storm was forecast to hit Saturday.

The men reached the summit that day, but not long after, "the storm came, and it came with a vengeance," Gravenkamp said.

Thomas did not reply to an interview request Tuesday. But in an entry on a Web site for outdoors enthusiasts, summitpost.org, he said he disputed "some of the important details in the news reports (regarding permits, weather advisories and closures at the time of our departure) and will be responding to those as soon as appropriate."

In his profile, Thomas identifies himself as an advanced climber who has reached the summit of Mount Shasta three times, most recently in February.

Kai Allen, a recreational manager for the U.S. Forest Service at Mount Shasta, said the two men entered the park from the rarely used north entrance, where self-registration kiosks are buried under 15 feet of snow.

Most climbers stop by the well-staffed south entrance ranger station to drop off their itineraries, Allen said.

Allen said the two climbers had to walk or snowshoe at least 5 miles to reach the trailhead with 40-pound backpacks.

"You have to be very ambitious to climb the mountain from that side this time of the year," Allen said. "These guys knew what they were doing; they weren't just off the streets."